Norfolk museum on duty for launch of special Dad's Army stamps

Norfolk's Dad's Army Museum is today celebrating the launch of eight special stamps to mark the sitcom's 50th anniversary.

Broadcast on the BBC from 1968 to 1977, the show's 80 episodes followed the antics of a British Home Guard unit during the Second World War in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea.

The eight stamps, which will be released later this month, celebrate the key characters together with their most memorable catchphrases.

The Royal Mail visited the Dad's Army Museum in Thetford earlier this month for a special photo shoot.

They made a promotional video where volunteers dressed as the show’s characters and carried blown up copies of the stamps around the town.

The sitcom was drawn from the wartime memories of writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

The series was based partly on Perry’s experiences in the Local Defence Volunteers at the age of 17 during the Second World War. His mother didn’t like him being out at night, which inspired the character of Pike.

In its heyday the show regularly attracted more than 18 million viewers, becoming one of the most watched television programmes of its time.

The stamps and souvenir products can be pre-ordered now from www.royalmail.com/dadsarmy and will be available from 7,000 Post Offices nationwide from 26 June 2018.